


Night Vision

by Phoenicia, snarkyscorp



Series: Wolf Sousuke & Bunny Haru [3]
Category: Free!
Genre: AU, Bunny Haru, M/M, Wolf/Bunny, bunny makoto, wolf rin, wolf sousuke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-15
Updated: 2015-09-15
Packaged: 2018-04-20 21:35:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4803017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoenicia/pseuds/Phoenicia, https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarkyscorp/pseuds/snarkyscorp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neither of them have a way with words, but hearts have a way of seeing through the dark.</p><p> </p><p>Just a little bite of sweetness for Sousuke's birthday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Night Vision

**Author's Note:**

> We have an unnatural obsession with wolf Sousuke and bunny Haru, and it's quickly taking over our lives! Phoenicia already wrote [Into the Woods](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4112128) as something that's part of this universe, although you don't have to read it to understand this one. We also both share many wolf/bunny headcanons over at our joint blog [Future Fishsticks](http://futurefishsticks.tumblr.com/).

"Do-do we really need the lights off?" Makoto asks. He hovers beside Haru at the lightswitch, both afraid to leave his side and afraid this could be a very clever trap by one of the wolves. His long brown ears are flopped over his shoulders, tiny nose twitching as he holds onto Haru's shirt. "I know it's a surprise, but…" He wrings his hands into Haru's shirt more firmly, wrinkling it.

"Makoto's afraid of the dark," Rin explains, suddenly appearing behind Makoto to make his bunny jump. A wide, wolfish smile shows all his sharp, white teeth as he chuckles and leans in. "Oi, don't worry. I promise not to jump out of the shadows and snatch you. You're still too skinny to eat, you know."

"H-Haru," Makoto whines, hiding behind the much smaller bunny's body.

“Not helping, Rin.” Haru has no such fears, be it of the dark or of being eaten, but it still fluffs his tail that Rin can be so...obtuse. Makoto is jumpy and so easily startled - so much more _bunny_ than Haru - and Rin’s wolfy swagger just makes it worse. Haru still doesn’t know how Rin managed to catch Makoto and bring him home. “We have decent night vision,” he continues, his voice pitched somewhere between soothe and comfort. “You’ll be able to see, and I will be right here.” Haru pointedly leaves Rin out of his reassurance, something not lost on the red wolf. “It’s important to surprise Sousuke.”

"Night vision," Makoto reminds himself. It seems to calm him down enough that at least he doesn't wrinkle Haru's shirt any further. He glances at the cake that Haru made, the dinner just waiting to be cooked, the scent of it full in the air, and he remembers that this is for Sousuke. And Sousuke cares for Haru so well. If Makoto has to endure a little fear in order to make his friends happy, he will.

Even if being alone in the dark in Sousuke's house still scares him. Especially with Rin making such jokes. He's pretty sure Rin won't eat him, but Rin likes to taunt him even so.

"Night vision," Rin agrees. "So you can at least see me coming first." He pops out to grab Makoto's shoulders, but instead of nipping at him, he nuzzles against his cheek in a soothing manner that makes Makoto melt a little against the attention, looking much smaller than the six foot bunny he is.

Haru rolls his eyes and huffs, but it’s mostly for show. He and Rin have settled their differences - once Rin stopped threatening to eat him and badgering Sousuke to give Haru to him - so as long as Rin is kind to Makoto, Haru is content. He feels very protective of the other bunny; though they didn’t know each other in the prey district, Haru’s relationship with Sousuke is why Makoto is here (Rin is competitive, and when he discovered he wasn’t prying Haru from Sousuke he of course has to get a bunny of his own). In a normal circumstance, they might have been senpai and kouhai or even just friends, but in the predator district they are practically family.

Haru’s lazy ear lifts slightly, hoping for feet on the stairs. The cake is beautiful, decorated in elaborate fondant and gum paste. The tonkatsu is breaded and only needs to be cooked; everything else is ready and in the kitchen. Despite the work and preparation, the process has been relaxing, creative in a way he hasn’t been able to express since moving in with Sousuke. He runs slender fingers over his neck, lingering on the single set of teethmarks that never quite fade, the claim mark Sousuke gave him months ago. The skin holds memories, intimate and otherwise, and Haru finds himself drifting in them until Rin snorts knowingly behind him. Stupid wolves and their sense of smell, he thinks, not dignifying Rin with a response.

It takes a little longer than usual, but soon, the sound of Sousuke's heavy feet can be heard outside their small home. It's been a long day for the wolf, spent with his family, who are of course wonderful as far as families go, but very strict and proud and traditional. Sousuke had to shower several times and change into half his clothes in the restrooms at the station so that he wouldn't smell like Haru. Sousuke isn't sure what his family would do if they found out he kept a bunny for anything other than a future meal.

He doesn't want to find out, either. So if that means taking two trains to get to them and switching clothes midway and not kissing or rubbing on Haru for the entire morning, he has to endure it.

Still, it takes a lot out of him, having to lie to his parents. To make up stories about how good he is at being a predator when he's secretly fallen in love with his prey. So he fumbles with his keys at the door, which was good for those hiding inside, giving them plenty of time to run and hide.

Makoto squeaks, slipping on a runner in the hallway as he tries to find somewhere big enough to hide his massive body. Rin winds up pulling him into the kitchen. He'll let Haru be the first to surprise Sousuke (privately), and then they can pop out and really start the party too.

With a sigh, Sousuke pushes the door open, his ears pricking and senses immediately on edge. The house is… _dark_. And there are foreign smells. A wolf's stench. Hand curled on the doorknob, Sousuke hunches a little, a growl rumbling out between his teeth. Where was Haru? As panic settles in, he closes and locks the door behind him, ready to rip off the limbs of the first thing he saw if it hurt his bunny.

A spark of light pierces the darkness, just enough to illuminate the shadow of a floppy ear and the cake beneath the single candle. “Surprise,” Haru says softly; he’s partially concealed in the alcove between kitchen and hallway, but his voice carries with soft assurance. “There’s still some of your birthday left, so we put together a little party. I hope you’re hungry,” he adds with just a little tease; the darkened house sparks a lot of anxious predator energy in his wolf and Haru knows it needs calming. “But I’m not singing by myself. Too embarrassing.”

Sousuke's twitching ears finally settle into a shocked forward position, his eyes focusing on Haru's lone form, that single floppy ear driving his heart rate immediately up and then reassuring it back to normal in the span of a breath.

" _We_?" he asks warily.

Rin chooses that moment to shove Makoto out of his hiding spot and hit the lights in the kitchen. "Surprise!" they both shout. The lights go on, illuminating the cake, the little figures at the top, the ready-to-cook dinner.

Sousuke's eyes widen. For a second, he looks so shocked that Makoto and Rin both hold their breath, wondering if it was a good idea. Then, finally, Sousuke hunches, letting down the bag off his shoulder as he laughs, a smile breaking across his face in a wave.

"You planned this?" he asks Haru, cocking his head at his beautiful bunny, making sure Haru can see the white of his smile.

Haru huffs again, looking off to the side. “‘Planned’ is a very strong word,” he demurs, not quite able to admit everything. It’s such a vulnerable position, undertaking all of this willingly. “I had help,” he adds, taking an unlit candle and using it to spread flame to the remaining ones. “But Makoto only watched me make the food.” His fellow bunny does not share Haru’s culinary skills and is not often allowed in the kitchen. More than once, Rin has accused him of trying to poison his way to freedom.

Cake totally lit, Haru holds it out towards Sousuke, mirroring the wolf’s head-cocked posture. “It’s your birthday,” he emphasizes, thinking that is more than enough explanation, more than enough words to convey why he spent so much time on everything, why the element of surprise was important, why his wolf deserved all of this and more. “I wasn’t here for your last one.”

Sousuke steps forward, eyeing the elaborate decorations on the cake. The precise number of candles for his age. The single floppy ear on the fondant bunny topper. He swallows around the unfamiliar tightening in his chest, throat, head, and heart. Well, it used to be unfamiliar. These days, with Haru, he finds himself constantly taut and tangled with this sort of feeling. His palms are sweaty, tail stiff and awkward, ears beginning to anxiously twitch again.

"Haru," he says, voice low and full of emotion. "I--"

The sound of sniffling fills the room. But it's not Sousuke - it's Rin.

"R-Rin!" Makoto cries, leaping to his wolf and fawning over him, forcing tissues under his eyes, wiping the tears with his fingers clumsily.

Rin's ears slick back, as he growls, "I'm not crying!" defensively.

As the two of them argue quietly, Sousuke takes that moment to lean in, his fingertips gliding along the furry-soft edge of Haru's floppy ear. "Thank you, Haru," Sousuke hums, leaning over the cake to leave a slow lick over Haru's mouth.

“You don’t have to thank me,” Haru murmurs against Sousuke’s mouth, but it has his self-satisfied edge to it, the pride in a job well done. His wolf is happy, it’s everywhere in his scent, and that was Haru’s goal. He nips Sousuke’s lower lip in return, a tease and a promise, and softens teeth into a slow, aching kiss. “Blow these out before we catch on fire, wolf,” he whispers, tuning out the ongoing Rin-Makoto sappiness behind them. Sousuke’s fingers caress against his ear and it lifts slightly with the attention, never quite straightening but seeking the wolf’s touch.

Sousuke only leans away long enough to take a breath and blow out the candles, his fingers continuing slow, sensual strokes along Haru's ear. In that moment, he wishes the party part of this surprise could wait until after he devoured his bunny. But Haru had gone through a lot to prepare all this in one day, and he'd gone out of his way to invite Rin and Makoto. Sousuke would just have to spoil him later to make up for an entire day's loss.

"Happy birthday, Sousuke-san," Makoto manages, prompted by Rin to say something nice, even though Makoto is still scared of Sousuke too. Still, he perks a little at the sight of such gentleness with Haru. "Haru, can I put the tonkatsu on?" His tiny bunny tail wags, and behind him, Rin is utterly distracted by its puffy shake.

“Sure…” For a moment, Haru isn’t sure what he’s agreed to, only that this was Makoto’s question voice and an affirmative seemed appropriate. The more Sousuke touches his ear, the heavier his lids grow over dilating eyes and the faster his bunny-breathing gets; Makoto could have asked him for free run of the kitchen and Haru would have handed over every scrap of food and spices and sharp knives.

He inhales with a gasp, the cake wavering in his grip as his mind catches up. “Makoto,” Haru says in a voice that most _definitely_ does not tremble with breathiness. “Be sure to turn the fire on first.” The last time the tonkatsu had a thoroughly moisturizing oil bath for several minutes before Makoto realized why they weren’t cooking.

"I'll take that," Rin says, sweeping the weight of the cake from Haru's half-lax grip so he can set it on a sturdy table. Blushing as red as his hair, Rin can't help but be distracted by the level of pheromones coming off the two of them. Even Makoto looks a little flushed.

But that doesn't seem to stop Sousuke, whose large fingers continue their velvet-soft strokes along Haru's lazy ear, a sappy, tired smile on his face. He's practically waiting for Haru's foot to start stomping.

"Oi, turn on the fans, Makoto!!" Rin snaps, rushing into the kitchen to help Makoto so that neither Haru's gift nor the house would be burned.

Relieved of the cake, Haru doesn’t hesitate to step closer, to wind his arms around his wolf’s waist and welcome him home for real. They don’t speak much about it - not-speaking is a way of life in their household - but Haru knows it’s difficult for him, spackling on the facade for filial duty. It makes him wonder at times what Sousuke’s life was like before they met, and Haru is only too glad to peel the mask away when he returns home and to let Sousuke be Sousuke. “I know it’s your birthday,” Haru whispers, “but if you keep playing with my ear like that I think we’ll make Rin explode and you’ll be stuck with two bunnies.” He greets Sousuke’s mouth with his own, a throaty bunny-purr rumbling across their lips. “Let’s go save your birthday dinner while we still can.”

"Two bunnies…" Sousuke muses, pretending to think about it until he chuckles in a warm, low way, and slides his hand away from Haru's ear in favor of briefly lacing their fingers. It's his birthday, so he can be sweet if he wants and no one will fault him for it. "I don't know. I guess one bunny is difficult enough to spoil."

In the kitchen, Makoto has managed not to burn Haru's dish, but he's only too happy to give him the reins again. Hovering close, he peers over Haru's shoulder to watch. He'd love to be able to cook for Rin sometime and surprise his wolf.

Sousuke tries to help, but Haru, Rin, and even Makoto all shoo him out so that he can relax. It's his birthday, so they'll wait on him. In the end, Sousuke complies, only because he is very tired, and he can see Haru in the kitchen from his place at the table, can watch his bunny's nose twitch and his floppy ear perk every now and then. The house smells good, like home, and Sousuke finds himself happy for the first time all day. Well, since he woke up with Haru in his arms, anyway, but that seems like weeks ago it's been such a long day. Ears sliding back, he tries not to be mesmerized by the way Haru moves around the kitchen, effortless in his talents, and is finally distracted when Makoto brings out some sake and sits with him to chat.

Rin stays nearby in case Haru needs anything but mostly keeps out of his way. He gathers dishes and chopsticks, gets the rice ready, and helps Haru bring everything in to set the table. Haru catches him on the way back in and pops a test slice of hot tonkatsu in his mouth. Rin chews, trying not to burn his tongue, and nods vigorously; it’s perfect. Haru gives him a tiny smile and puts the tasting dish down to take off his apron. The low hum of conversation says Makoto is keeping Sousuke occupied, giving him enough time to plate all the tonkatsu with a decorative drizzle of sauce across the top and around the perimeter. He hands Rin the plates for him and Makoto, taking his own and Sousuke’s to the table.

The sake is about half gone already, which is fine by Haru; neither he nor Rin have much alcohol tolerance. “Makoto, would you pour tea?” Haru asks, setting Sousuke’s plate in front of him. It’s a strange gathering - two predators, two prey - but each member of this small group has become precious to Haru...even Rin. It’s not the life he might have chosen for himself, but he regrets nothing about being there.

Haru doesn't say much, usually, and that only makes the sheer amount of thought that went into this surprise party all the more special to Sousuke. His day has been full of lies and omissions, but now, he can relax. He can breathe. He can reach under the table to find Haru's knee and give it a gentle stroke of thanks.

"Shouldn't we sing to him?" Makoto asks. Both Rin and Haru look displeased with such a suggestion, Rin's loudness winning over as he thanks Haru for the food and digs in.

It's delicious. Perfect, really. The sake eases Sousuke back down, and by the end of the meal, he's licking his chopsticks to get all the flavor off them. He even eats a large slice of the cake and then some of Haru's since he doesn't like sweets very much but he tried for Sousuke's sake. When Rin and Makoto bring out gifts, Sousuke is warm and happy and full, and manages to even thank Makoto gently for the badly wrapped orange package he presents. Rin's gift isn't wrapped, so Sousuke can truly appreciate the pack of his favorite cola. It's a gift that matches Rin's personality.

Makoto is good at one thing and that's cleaning up, so he helps Haru with it while Rin and Sousuke talk in low tones in the living area.

"He really spent a lot of effort on you, you know," Rin says.

Sousuke's ears slide back. "Tch. Of course I know that, idiot."

"Well, be more appreciative, then."

"Eh??" Sousuke snarls. "Haru knows I appreciate him."

"You'd just better show it more, or I might wind up stealing your bunny away from you," Rin threatens, although now it's just in jest and tease as he leers at his best friend. Standing to his feet, he brushes his hair back. "Makoto, are you done bothering Haru yet? We should go. It's late, and I don't want you wandering off in the dark by yourself."

"Thank you for having me," Makoto says, grasping Haru's hands to squeeze them. His ears perk brightly. "And letting me help. Please take care of Sousuke-san." Haru gives him a look that clearly says _don’t be silly, Makoto_ , but he squeezes back, his eyes full of quiet thanks as he hands Makoto a box with a slice of cake to take home. With Makoto’s metabolism, Haru doubts it will last the night.

Rin’s all too quick to tug on Haru’s non-lazy ear as he gathers him in for a hug. Haru pats Rin’s back gently, trying not to prolong the contact. He likes Rin, but he doesn’t like a lot of Rin’s scent on him. Despite both being wolves, Rin and Sousuke’s scents clash to Haru’s nose and he’d much rather be surrounded in Sousuke’s. He still stinks of wolf-musk, but it’s a soothing smell to Haru now. Rin’s soft “...thanks” brings Haru back, his wiry arms firmly anchored around the bunny. Haru nods, able to read Rin’s intentions and (just for today) embrace them.

Pulling at Rin's collar, Sousuke hauls the other wolf off of his bunny, wildly protective even though he's pretty sure Rin doesn't want to eat him anymore. "Oi, you overstayed your welcome," Sousuke says through his teeth. Then, once Rin is at arm's length, his snarl breaks into a grin as they exchange their usual best friend's handshake, which they should be ashamed of at such an age but aren't.

"Happy birthday!" Rin and Makoto call, as they slip their shoes back on and quietly let themselves out.

Once the house is calm again, Sousuke looks around. Haru and Makoto cleaned everything up, so he feels a little guilty now that there's nothing to help with. Haru planned it all for him, and… Was Rin right? Should he make it more obvious how much he appreciates Haru's work?

A little awkwardly, Sousuke steps close to Haru, fingering his floppy ear again. "This was really nice," he says, a little color on his cheeks. "I…" _I love you_ is what he wants to say, but it comes out quite differently: "I'm glad I decided not to eat you, after all."

Words really seem like a small thing, especially when his wolf wears that happy flush on his face. So clumsy and so hesitant, but it’s not a predator’s way to admit vulnerability, he knows. There's so much in Sousuke that Haru can see, clear even without his bunny night vision. Haru tilts his head, giving Sousuke’s long fingers better access to his ear as he peers up through the shade of his bangs, blue eyes an infinity of warmth and understanding...after all, he’s pretty bad with articulating things as well. “...me too,” he says, accepting what lingers under the wolf’s words without begging for more. It’s there when one knows where and how to look, shining out at only him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please hit us up on tumblr or twitter if you'd like to chat. =^_^=
> 
> Phoenicia: [tumblr](http://mienaihane.tumblr.com) | [twtter](http://twitter.com/mienaihane)  
> snarkyscorp: [tumblr](http://fuwafuwafic.tumblr.com) | [twitter](http://twitter.com/oikawalife)
> 
> Joint headcanon blog: [futurefishsticks](http://futurefishsticks.tumblr.com)


End file.
